Dark Secrets
by chilled monkey
Summary: Crossover with John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness." While performing community service, Ito, Mitsuhashi, Imai and Nakano find themselves caught up in an ancient secret involving something that could be the essence of pure evil.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Kyo Kara Ore Wa!" or John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness." Both are property of their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story.

 **Author's Note:** While I usually prefer to write in the anime continuity, in this case I am borrowing characters and elements from both the anime and manga.

To my knowledge the girl who befriends Nakano in the manga is never given a name in the series. I've taken the liberty of giving her one here.

* * *

"Ore-sama was framed!" Mitsuhashi howled as he was unceremoniously bundled into a cop car. It was so tempting to fight his way loose but he refrained. Even he had enough common sense to realise that beating up cops was not a good idea.

"Will you shut up Mitsuhashi?" Ito snapped as he too was shoved in.

It had started off simply enough. Some hoodlums from Akehisa High had been causing trouble and Mitsuhashi and Ito had gone to put them in their place. Imai and Nakano had even joined in. Unfortunately things had escalated until the police were called. The four of them had been unable to slip away in time and had been arrested along with the Akehisa punks.

"My life is over" Imai groaned miserably. "How can I face Ryoko-chan now that I am a felon? She won't even speak to me after this."

"Don't worry Imai" said Ito reassuringly. "She'll understand. She accepts you just as you are. Just like me and Kyoko-chan. She won't like this but I know she'll forgive me."

Imai looked a little better and smiled. The moment was broken by Nakano (who up to now had been silent) uttering a low chuckle. The other three turned to look at him, surprised by the show of humour from the usually quiet and morose individual.

"What's so funny?" Ito asked.

"I hadn't noticed before how your girlfriends' names rhyme" he replied. "Ryoko, Kyoko. It's funny."

They decided not to answer. While Nakano was now an ally and a sort-of friend, they still found him very odd.

Mitsuhashi of course couldn't resist an opportunity for some ribbing. "How about you Nakano? Aren't you worried how Hitomi-chan will react?"

"Hitomi and I are just friends" Nakano replied, his amused look disappearing.

Imai and Ito shared a knowing nod. They both knew better, no matter how much he protested.

Mitsuhashi grinned fiendishly. "Well in that case you'll have no problem if I ask her out…"

"Try it and I break your legs" Nakano said menacingly.

"As if you could" Mitsuhashi countered.

"Cut it out you punks" the officer driving the car snapped. "None of you will be going out anywhere for some time after what you pulled."

"Ha! It was all a misunderstanding. Ore-sama will be out in no time" Mitsuhashi boasted.

* * *

At the trial Ito, Imai and Nakano all pleaded guilty, knowing they were in enough trouble already. Mitsuhashi first claimed that he was an innocent bystander that had gotten dragged into the brawl. When it became obvious that no one was fooled he changed his story to Ito threatening him into it. It proved just as convincing as his first claim.

Throughout the proceedings Kyoko, Ryoko and Hitomi all sent supportive looks to their respective significant others. The guys all replied with small, thankful smiles, even Nakano. Riko tried to do the same to Mitsuhashi but he ignored her. She sighed sadly and the other girls gave her reassuring pats on the shoulder.

Before long the verdict was given. Unsurprisingly, the four were found guilty. Ito fully expected Mitsuhashi to make a scene and thus add to their sentence but fortunately he didn't. In fact he seemed too shocked to react.

"Ito Shinji, Mitsuhashi Takashi, Imai Katsutoshi, Nakano Makoto, you have been found guilty of the charges brought by this court and it is now my duty to pass sentence" the judge announced. "You are sentenced to one thousand, nine hundred and ninety three hours of community service."

* * *

The next day the four of them were on a minibus heading off to begin their community service. They soon arrived at a dilapidated church.

"What a dump" Mitsuhashi snorted as he studied the old building.

"Show some reverence Mitsuhashi" Ito chided. "This is a house of prayer."

"Not any more it isn't. It must have been closed down years ago."

"That's right" their supervisor said as he unlocked the door. "However something's going on here soon that'll require people to stay overnight. You boys are here to clear away some old junk, make some room and clean this place up a bit to make it more inhabitable."

"This is unbelievable" Mitsuhashi fumed. "Ore-sama being forced to perform manual labour. How can this be allowed?"

"What's wrong Mitsuhashi, scared of a little honest work?" Imai asked.

"I agree" said Nakano. "I think he doesn't want to be shown up when he can only move little pieces while us strong guys do the real lifting."

"What? Ore-sama is stronger than anyone! I'll move more than both of you put together!"

With that he marched into the church. He didn't notice the triumphant grins on the other two's faces.

 _This is going to be interesting_ Ito thought.

* * *

The four of them got to work. They moved broken pieces of furniture outside, cleaned the floors, dusted the corners and so on. Despite Mitsuhashi's complaining they made good progress.

"That was easy" Mitsuhashi boasted when they had finally finished.

"Not bad boys" said the supervisor as he checked their work over. "I'm sure the people coming here will appreciate it."

"What's going on here anyway?" Imai asked curiously.

"You can ask them yourselves. They'll be here soon and you'll be helping set up their equipment."

"What? We haven't finished our sentence yet?" Mitsuhashi exclaimed.

Ito sighed. "We were sentenced to one thousand, nine hundred and ninety three hours of community service. So far we've done three hours."

"Just one thousand, nine hundred and ninety hours left. The end's in sight" said Nakano dryly.

Mitsuhashi grumbled crossly.

* * *

Another minibus arrived soon afterwards. Aboard it was a small group of college students and numerous containers filled with equipment. With them was a short, older man who introduced himself as Professor Howard Birack.

"I know you boys aren't here by choice but I appreciate your help" he told them. "The work we're here for is extremely important."

"We're happy to help sir" said Imai. He was thrilled by the chance to ingratiate himself with the professor. Getting into his good books could help him with his dream of becoming an archaeologist.

"Boot-licker" Mitsuhashi scoffed.

Imai tensed but didn't reply, refusing to let himself be baited.

The four of them soon got to work carrying the containers into the church and helping to set up the equipment. It all looked very sophisticated and none of them had any idea what it could be for.

"So what's going on here anyway?" Imai asked one of the students, his curiosity having gotten the best of him.

"No idea" the student replied. "Birack says he'll tell us all in time, whatever that means. All I know is that this trip counts as a third of my grade."

Now Imai REALLY wanted to know what was going on…

* * *

Meanwhile Mitsuhashi was carrying another box up a staircase. As he got to the top he noticed Ito looking out of a window with a frown. Annoyed he put the box down and strode over to him.

"Ito! How dare you stand around doing nothing! Slacking off while Ore-sama does all the work!"

Ito was startled but regained his composure right away. "Mitsuhashi look at this." He pointed out of the window.

Standing in an alleyway was a crowd of scruffy, unkempt people dressed in tatty clothing. All of them stood perfectly still and stared at the church, their faces blank and expressionless. In front of the crowd was a tall pale man with long black hair. He wore a black wooly hat and a filthy brown coat.

"There's something strange about those guys" said Ito. "They've been there for over an hour now. They don't say or do anything, just stand there."

"Well if that scares you so much Ito then Ore-sama will get rid of them. You're lucky to have such a great leader" said Mitsuhashi.

He turned and marched back down the stairs.

* * *

 _This is so boring_ Nakano thought as he carried a length of computer cable over to a bank of machinery. When Imai had told him that whatever was happening here was important, he'd had hopes that maybe someone would show up and try to sabotage it or steal the equipment or something. Then he'd be able to fight. But so far nothing had happened and he was getting tired of waiting.

"AAAIIIIE!"

He spun around as a cry of terror split the air. Nakano dropped the cable and dashed over to where a young guy was screaming.

"What is it?"

The guy pointed at a window. Nakano looked and saw that there was a mass of writhing worms slithering across the glass. He snorted contemptuously and walked off.

 _What a wuss. Scared over a few little worms_ he thought. He considered teaching the guy a lesson for getting his hopes up but decided against it. Hitomi wouldn't like that. The thought that if she were there she'd admire his restraint brought a small smile to his face.

* * *

Mitsuhashi spent a full twenty minutes trying to get the crowd to leave but no matter how much he ranted, yelled or threatened them they didn't so much as blink. Finally he was forced to admit defeat and go back to work.

Finally, when everything had been set up and with the arrival of a Catholic priest, Birack finally told everyone why they were there. More specifically he said he would show them. He and the priest led the students down to a large chamber in the church's basement. In the middle of the chamber was a clear cylindrical container with a base and top made of corroded metal. It was filled with a swirling green liquid. Even Mitsuhashi was awed by the sight of it

"What is that thing?" he asked. He and the other three had been allowed to come down after Imai had pleaded with Birack.

"That's what we're here to find out" the professor replied.

Imai stared at the cylinder in amazement. _This is it_ he thought. _This is the kind of thing I've dreamt of. If I can prove myself useful here then I'll have taken a huge step towards becoming an archaeologist._

He turned to their supervisor. "Sir can we continue our community service here? Surely there's something we can do."

"Yes" Mitsuhashi agreed. "This could be a hugely important discovery. It's our duty to society to help in any way we can."

 _And maybe I can find a way to make some money off it_ he thought to himself.

"Fine with me if it's okay with you professor" said the supervisor.

"All right. Just be very careful and don't tell anyone about this" he replied.

"Yes sir!" both of them exclaimed.

"I have a VERY bad feeling about this" Ito muttered as he studied the green liquid. He had no idea how right he was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** This chapter is where the "horror" part of the story begins. If you think the rating needs to go up then please let me know.

* * *

Ito's bad feeling only grew the following day. He found himself constantly glancing at the crowd of homeless people as they maintained their eerie, silent vigil. The discovery that the cylinder contained an elaborate locking mechanism that could only be opened from the inside did nothing to ease his worries.

Mitsuhashi, with his typical lack of subtlety, suggested simply breaking open the cylinder to get a sample of the liquid for testing. The priest looked as if he were about to have a heart attack upon hearing that. Birack of course had refused, pointing out that the liquid could be poisonous.

The chamber with the cylinder also contained an ancient leather-bound book that some of the students set about translating. Imai offered to help (mostly by bringing food and drink) and as he saw the translations appear on a computer screen he found himself beginning to worry as well. Drawn by morbid curiosity Ito joined him and they read the translations together.

 _I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you this thing which shall be unleashed._

 _And the Prince of Darkness was himself sealed, that old life, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world._

Alarmed, Ito took a step back and bumped into the supervisor, causing him to whack his arm on a nearby piece of machinery.

"I'm very sorry" Ito apologised. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know, it was an accident" the supervisor replied as he rubbed his arm. It was already developing a nasty-looking bruise.

Feeling in need of some fresh air Ito excused himself and went outside. He felt a little better outside of the oppressive confines of the building but that feeling of relief disappeared when he looked over and saw that sure enough the scruffy mob of derelicts were still there in the alley, still staring motionlessly at the church. He fought off an urge to scream at them to just do something. Not that it would work. If Mitsuhashi couldn't get a reaction out of them then nothing could.

He looked up at the sky. It was covered by a thick blanket of cloud that seemed to perfectly match the sense of smothering dread that had come over him. As much as he tried to tell himself he was being silly the feeling would not go away. Something very strange was going on here and he had no idea what to do about it.

"Ito-san!"

The voice was warm and bright, driving away the dark thoughts that had been consuming him. A genuine smile lit his face for the first time since he'd arrived at the church as he looked over at the front gate to see Kyoko waving at him, a matching smile on her lovely face. With her were Riko, Ryoko and Hitomi, all of them with cheerful faces.

"Kyo-chan!" Ito called back as he waved to her, feeling as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders.

"We came to see how you, Mitsuhashi-san and the others are getting on" she explained as they walked up to him.

"Yes, you've all been working so hard we thought we'd pay a visit to lend our support" Hitomi agreed.

"And make sure you're not getting my Imai into more trouble" Ryoko added. She was carrying a rectangular canvas bag that Ito knew contained her shinai.

"Speaking of trouble how's San-chan?" Riko asked.

"He's fine" Ito replied, the feeling of dread beginning to creep back in as he was reminded of why Mitsuhashi had wanted to continue working here.

Kyoko saw the change in his mood at once. "What's wrong Ito-san?" she asked in concern.

"Oh uh, nothing" he said hastily as he pushed his troubled thoughts down, not wanting her to worry. "Come on, let's not keep the others waiting."

As the girls followed him inside the church Ito cast a hard glare at the statue-like derelicts, a silent warning not to try anything. They reacted to it the same way they had to everything else so far; not at all.

* * *

Down in the basement Mitsuhashi was gazing at the cylinder and rubbing his hands together as he plotted ways to make money off of it, a greedy smile on his face.

 _Hmm, maybe Ore-sama could sell tickets to come and see it, or perhaps sell it to someone. There are lots of collectors that'll pay a lot for weird stuff like this. But then I'd have to sneak it out of here somehow and that could be difficult even for one as brilliant as Ore-sama._

He pressed a hand to the glass, his smile broadening as he continued to scheme. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone approaching until they were right behind him.

"Excuse me."

"Aggh!" He jumped and whirled around to see one of the students standing there. "I wasn't doing anything! I was just standing here."

"Your friend Ito asked me to get you. He said you have a visitor" the student replied.

"Ah, well all right then." He walked out of the basement, muttering to himself about how whoever it was he hoped they had brought him food.

The student went to a nearby piece of machinery to check the readings but then stopped, his gaze turning back to the cylinder. Was it his imagination or was the green liquid spinning even faster? And had the corroded metal top of the container moved slightly?

"Get a grip" he muttered. "You're letting all that religious stuff get to you. That stuff's just a load of…"

HSSSS!

A thin jet of the green liquid shot from the top of the cylinder right into his open mouth. He staggered back, choking and coughing as the liquid slid down his throat, burning everything it touched. Collapsing to the floor he thrashed about wildly for a few seconds before going still, his eyes closed.

A moment later he stood up. His movements were now stiff and mechanical and his face was blank and without expression, just like the derelicts outside.

He turned and slowly walked out of the chamber, heading for the sleeping quarters…

* * *

Watching the church from his hiding place in an alley, Sagara smiled malevolently as he saw Mitsuhashi walk past a window. He had already confirmed that Ito was still there and now that he knew Mitsuhashi was as well his revenge could proceed.

He looked up at the sky, noting how dark it was. It had already been somewhat dim due to the thick clouds overhead but now it was as dark as night.

 _Weird_ he thought. Still, no matter.

He hefted a petrol can, listening to the sound of its contents sloshing around. It was a pity about all the other people inside the church but hey, it wasn't his fault that they had decided to go there.

As he was about to move out he heard a faint rustle of cloth. He turned to see the crowd of derelicts were finally moving, shuffling slowly towards him.

Sagara started to tell them to get lost when he noticed their eyes. They were utterly empty, not merely lifeless but _soulless,_ unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He wasn't spooked easily but now, looking at those eyes, he felt genuine fear. Fear that robbed him of his ability to speak.

He was brought out of his stupor by another sound. A clicking, skittering sound, like numerous hard shells rubbing over each other. A sound coming from beneath him.

Sagara looked down and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he saw that he was standing in the middle of a seething mass of black cockroaches, their exoskeletons glistening faintly in the darkness as they began to crawl up his shoes.

With a cry of revulsion he sprang backwards, dropping the petrol can which clattered to the ground as he began trying frantically to shake the insects off. He turned to run, his plan of revenge completely forgotten, only to find himself facing the pale man who stood holding half of a broken bicycle. Before Sagara could react the pale man rammed the bicycle's top tube through his chest!

His jaw fell open in shock and he uttered a low groan as pain spread through his chest. Blood spurted out as the pale man yanked the tube out and pushed him over. Sagara fell back into the writhing mass of cockroaches and stared up blankly into the pale man's empty eyes as the insects began to swarm over him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I combined two scenes from the movie here because I wanted to include the Alice Cooper bike impalement scene in some capacity but killing off some random guy seemed gratuitous so I mixed it with the scene where Wyndham is killed with Alice Cooper's character replacing the bag lady.


	3. Chapter 3

On the first floor of the church Ito was showing the girls a room he and the others had helped clear out in order to make room for various pieces of scientific equipment.

"You should have seen it when we first arrived. It was filled with junk" he said.

"As opposed to what it's filled with now?" Ryoko quipped.

"This isn't junk" he protested. "It's valuable equipment."

"Oh, is that why you guys are still here?" Riko asked.

"Do they want you to guard it?" Hitomi added.

"Uh, no not quite" he replied.

Just then Imai and Mitsuhashi entered the room. Imai grinned delightedly as he saw Ryoko.

"Ryoko-chan!"

"Imai-Kun!"

They dashed over and hugged each other. Everyone smiled except for Mitsuhashi who pretended to gag. Fortunately before he could say anything Riko hurried up to him.

"Hi San-chan" she chirruped.

Despite himself Mitsuhashi smiled. "Hey Riko."

"Oh, here" she said as she handed him a small box. "I got you some rice balls."

"Thanks" he said with a grin. As he began eating Nakano walked in.

"What's going on?" he asked with his usual disinterest. His expression immediately brightened as he saw Hitomi.

"Hi" he said.

"Hello Nakano-kun" she said warmly. "We came to see how you and the others were getting on."

"Thanks, that's very thoughtful of you" he said bashfully.

"Ugh, all this sappy stuff is making me sick" said Mitsuhashi.

"Yet you're still eating" said Ito wryly.

"Of course. Ore-sama won't waste good food" he replied. Riko smiled at that.

Mitsuhashi stuffed the last rice ball into his mouth and turned to look out a window as the various couples began talking about how their day had gone. As he tried to tune out their voices he heard something.

"Hello. Hello."

The voice was emotionless and oddly distorted, but he could still recognise it. He looked down to see that Sagara was standing in the front yard of the church, his face expressionless. Mitsuhashi scowled angrily.

"Oi Ito! Get over here, this is important!" he yelled.

Ito sighed. "Please wait a moment Kyo-chan."

"Sure" she replied.

Curious about what he'd seen, Imai and Nakano also excused themselves and went over to the window. All three guys tensed at what they saw. Unlike Mitsuhashi they noticed that Sagara's skin was a sickly grey pallor and his eyes were sunken.

"I've got a message for you. And you're not going to like it" he said.

"Oh and what's that?" Mitsuhashi demanded.

"Wait, look at him" said Ito as he pointed out of the window. Mitsuhashi looked and his annoyed look was replaced with horror as he saw black cockroaches were spilling out from under Sagara's collar, sleeves and the hems of his trousers.

"Pray for death" he said.

With that his head toppled off of his shoulders and his hand dropped off, more cockroaches falling after it. The guys recoiled from the window in revulsion, Mitsuhashi fighting to keep himself from throwing up the rice balls he'd just eaten. Ito wasn't able to stop himself from casting a final glance back in time to see Sagara's headless body slump to the ground and then be obscured by the swarm of cockroaches emerging from it.

"Ito-san!" Kyoko exclaimed as she rushed over to him. "What's wrong Ito-san?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. The other girls all responded similarly towards their respective significant others and the guys muttered appreciatively. Even Mitsuhashi and Nakano, normally the least willing to accept open displays of affection, did not shy away from the contact. After what they had just seen they needed it.

* * *

Unaware of what was going on the supervisor was wandering around the church looking for the guys.

"Where are those punk kids?" he muttered crossly. "If I find them slacking off then I'll…"

His words trailed off as he came across two of the students pushing the container of green liquid through the corridor. He was a little surprised by that but thought nothing of it.

"Hey have you seen Mitsuhashi and the others?"

Neither of them replied. Annoyed by their silence he strode forwards and started to repeat himself when he finally noticed the vacant look in their eyes.

"Hey are you on drugs? I'll have to tell Professor Birack about this."

They stopped pushing the container and one of them approached him. Now he was starting to get very nervous but tried not to let it show.

"Now look here, I…"

The student pulled out a block of wood and charged forwards in a sudden burst of acceleration. Before the supervisor could react the wooden block smashed right into his jaw, knocking him out. The student caught him before he could fall and carried him to a nearby room, all without so much as a flicker of emotion. Once he was laying on the floor inside, the container was pushed in with him. With a low grinding sound the top of the container turned and thick grey smoke poured forth.

* * *

Kyoko was very worried now. She had noticed that something was bothering Ito when they had first arrived but had decided not to press it. Now however she couldn't ignore it. Ito and the others had all gone white as sheets and had fearful looks in their eyes.

"Ito-san, are you all right?"

He seemed to come out of his daze and the fear in his eyes faded slightly as he turned to her.

"Kyo-chan… I think there's something bad going on here" he said unsurely.

"You think?" Mitsuhashi screeched. "We just saw a guy get ea-ARGH!" He was cut off as Nakano stomped on his foot.

"Mitsuhashi, why don't you go and get Professor Birack?" Ito asked.

"Uh, yeah sure" he replied. With that he hurried out of the room. Riko was shocked.

 _San-chan never just does what Ito-san asks him so easily! And for him to not get mad at Nakano-san for stepping on his foot like that… Something REALLY bad just happened_ she thought.

"I uh, I'll go and make sure he's okay" said Imai. "Hold on Ryoko-chan, I'll be back shortly."

"Okay" she replied.

He went after Mitsuhashi and the girls all turned back to Ito and Nakano. From their expressions it was clear that they all wanted answers.

"I, uh, I'll start at the beginning" said Ito.

* * *

"Mitsuhashi!" Imai called as he walked quickly down the corridor. "Damn it where is he? He can't be that far ahead."

While walking past an open door he glanced inside and noticed something that made him stop. He took a closer look and saw a desk with a computer on it. There was no one in the room but the computer was switched on and there were words on the screen. Laying open next to it was the ancient book from the cylinder chamber.

Imai stepped into the room and looked down at the book. He couldn't read the text but there was a drawing of a symbol. It looked like a circle with three arrow-like points, almost like the points on a compass. Instead of a fourth point however, there was a curved hook that resembled a sickle blade.

Fearful of what he'd see but unable to resist, he looked at the computer screen and read the words on it.

 _Be you not deceived of his purpose for one will be chosen._

"What does that mean?" he asked aloud. He glanced back at the drawing of the symbol. _Wait, I think I've seen that before…_

Something flickered in the corner of his eye and he glanced back at the screen. To his horror and disbelief the screen was now filled by just two words repeated over and over again;

 **I Live! I Live! I Live! I Live! I Live! I Live! I Live! I Live!**

Spooked, Imai sprang back. _This is impossible…_

The screen changed again, words appearing as if invisible fingers were moving across the keyboard.

 **You will not be saved by the Holy Ghost.**

 **You will not be saved by the Lord God.**

 **In fact, YOU WILL NOT BE SAVED!**

In utter panic Imai turned and fled, his heart hammering against his ribs.

 _Forget Mitsuhashi, I'm getting Ryoko-chan and the others and we're getting out of here!_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know in the actual movie the message on the computer was typed out by the possessed Lisa, but I wanted Imai to encounter something that was frightening but without a physical threat (that comes later). In the movie the entity is capable of psychokinesis so typing keys seems like something it could pull off.


	4. Chapter 4

Mitsuhasi continued his dash through the corridors. He didn't know where he was going and he didn't really care as long as it was in the opposite direction from the gruesome sight he'd witnessed.

 _What the ***** was that? Sagara just fell apart with bugs coming out of him, like they were eating him from the inside out._

He recalled that Ito had asked him to get Birack, but what was he supposed to tell him? Would the professor believe them even after all the weird stuff that had been going on since they'd gotten here? He doubted it.

His wild rush came to a halt as he heard something. It sounded like gushing water. Mitsuhashi followed the sound to a door and pushed it open while muttering to himself, "it's just a burst pipe, it's just a burst pipe."

The room was almost pitch black inside as Mitsuhashi stepped in. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw the same cylinder that only moments ago he had been sure would make him a fortune.

 _But… it's empty. And the lid is open._

He came out of his daze as he realised that the gushing sound was coming from the ceiling. He looked up and immediately froze in horror again.

The green liquid that had previously been inside the container had now, in complete defiance of gravity, formed a pool that covered the ceiling. That wasn't the worst part though. The worst part was that the supervisor (Mitsuhashi couldn't remember his name) was laying on a cot in the corner of the room. His eyes were closed but his mouth was wide open. The gushing sound he had heard was caused by a torrent of the green liquid that was now pouring itself right into the supervisor's mouth!

As he stood staring in shock at the bizarre spectacle before him he saw something off to his side move. Mitsuhashi turned to see one of the students emerge from the shadows, his eyes lifeless and empty. His mouth opened and shot out a stream of the green liquid.

Only Mitsuhashi's speed saved him as he dodged aside at the last moment. The icy fear that had gripped him was instantly melted away by anger as he snarled in rage. No matter what weirdness was going on, _nobody_ did that to him!

He hit the student with a fast flurry of rights and lefts that would have downed any normal opponent. The student didn't react, not even blinking as the punches connected. And as if that wasn't bad enough, another zombie-like student was also approaching.

 _Zombies… That's what they are. That's why they don't feel anything. I have to get out of here!_

Mitsuhashi landed a front kick that knocked his opponent to the floor. He turned to flee only to find that the doorway was blocked by at least three more zombie students.

 _How many of them are there?_

In desperation he flung himself at another door on the left wall. It opened and he rushed through then slammed it shut. He held it closed for several minutes before he realised that they weren't trying to open it. Warily he let go and moved back slightly.

A quick glance around told him that he was in a fitted closet and there was no other way out. He also realised two things. One, the door's top panel had a latticework that he could see through, and two, the gushing sound had stopped.

Mitsuhashi peered through the latticework, ready to duck at the first hint of an attack. None came. He saw that most of the zombies had moved away. Just two stood in the doorway. He looked over at the supervisor and his eyes bulged as he saw that the man's stomach was grossly bloated and swollen. Also, the green liquid had disappeared from the ceiling.

 _He swallowed all of it?_

Even as he tried to process everything that he'd seen Mitsuhashi found himself thinking about Riko, Ito and the others. He'd never admit it but he was very worried about them. Despite his usual self-centredness he actually hoped they'd get out of the building before trying to find him.

"Damn it. I'm thinking like Ito" he muttered.

* * *

Meanwhile Ito was explaining to the girls about all the weird stuff that had been going on at the church.

"I know it sounds crazy Kyo-chan but I swear to you it's all true" he said when he had finished.

She put her hand over his and gently replied, "it's okay Ito-san. I believe you."

"Thank you Kyo-chan."

Nakano looked over at Hitomi and she nodded. A small smile appeared on his face.

"So… what are we doing to do?" Riko asked.

Before anyone could reply Imai marched through the doorway. He looked even worse than when he'd left, pale, sweating and his eyes were darting around anxiously as if he was expecting an attack at any second.

"We have to go" he said. "Come on Ryoko-chan."

He held her wrist gently but firmly and started dragging her off. Had it been anyone else she would have clobbered him then and there. As it was she dug her heels in and braced herself, bringing him to an unexpected halt.

"Imai-kun, I am not moving an inch until you tell me what is going on" she said.

With an effort Imai managed to regain his composure and let go of her wrist.

"Sorry Ryoko-chan" he said. "While I was looking for Mitsuhashi I saw a computer. There was no-one there but words were appearing on the screen."

"What did it say?" Ito asked, not really wanting to know.

"First it just kept repeating "I live" over and over again. Then it said we weren't going to be saved, not by the Holy Ghost, not by God and then that we just weren't going to be saved."

Everyone was alarmed to hear that.

"Right that's it. Kyo-chan, we're getting you, Riko-chan, Ryoko-san and Hitomi-san out of here immediately and then we'll go back and get Mitsuhashi" said Ito.

"What? Do you think we'll get in the way just because we're girls?" Ryoko snapped as she reached for her shinai.

"No of course not" Ito hastily replied. "It's just easier to have fewer people to focus on."

"Ryoko-chan please" Imai pleaded. "We all know you girls can look after yourselves. It's just whatever's going on here is something really weird and we'd feel better knowing you weren't at risk."

"Fine" she replied grudgingly.

* * *

When they got to the front doors however there was a problem. They wouldn't open.

"What the…?" Ito began pushing as hard as he could but the doors remained shut. Imai joined in but to no avail. Then Imai noticed that the doors were slightly ajar, just enough for him to peer through.

"Damn it" he snarled.

"What's wrong?" Ryoko asked.

"The doors have been barricaded shut with all the junk we cleared out" he explained. "It must have been those homeless guys. They're standing just a few metres away."

Nakano scowled. "When I get my hands on them I'll…"

"No Nakano-kun" said Hitomi. "It's not their fault. From what you and Ito-san have said it sounds like they're being controlled."

He nodded as he cooled down.

"Can we call for help? Is there a phone?" Riko asked.

"Sure there's a phone" Nakano replied. "Too bad it's disconnected since this place is abandoned."

"Oh yes, sorry" she said, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

"Is there another way out?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes, there's a window on the first floor around the back of the building" said Ito. "From there we can climb down onto a shed and then to the ground."

"Let's go then" said Imai.


	5. Chapter 5

The group went back up the staircase and down the corridors that Imai had gone through previously. He shuddered at the thought of getting anywhere near the possessed computer he'd seen earlier but what choice did they have?

As they were making their way through the corridor they all heard the sounds of running feet. Ito and Nakano, at the front of the group, immediately braced themselves to fight. Much to their surprise they saw Professor Birack and the priest, Father Loomis, hurrying towards them. Both men looked absolutely terrified.

"Professor, what's wrong?" Ito asked as they came to a stop in front of the group and hunched over, panting for breath.

"My students, something's wrong with them" he replied between gasps. "We were having a meeting when…"

He stopped as a group of said students appeared from around a corner and began approaching at a steady, measured pace. All of them had the same expressionless faces and empty, soulless eyes.

"We have to flee" said Father Loomis.

But before anyone could react, multiple doors behind them opened and more of the zombie-like possessed students emerged, blocking their retreat. Frightened cries filled the hall as everyone clustered together.

Imai, bringing up the rear, lunged at the nearest possessed and began punching them with all his strength. Ryoko drew her shinai and joined him, hitting the possessed as hard as she could. The sheer ferocity of their combined attack forced their foes back a few steps but none of them made a sound or showed even a hint that they had felt anything.

"In here! Take cover!" Ito cried.

He pushed open a door and everyone fled in. The room had been used as an improvised living space, with a few small tables, chairs and a settee.

"Block the door" Birack yelled when they were all inside. Ito slammed the door shut and Nakano and Imai pushed the settee against it. The rest of the furniture was quickly piled on top of it. When that was done they all backed away, fully expecting to hear fists pounding against the door. Thankfully they did not. Apparently the possessed weren't trying to get in.

Satisfied that they had a moment of respite everyone took a moment to catch their breath as the adrenaline rush began to wear off. Fortunately there was enough room for them all.

Kyoko hugged Ito firmly. He returned the hug while stroking her hair and whispering words of reassurance. The same thing happened with Ryoko and Imai and even with Hitomi and Nakano although he did look a bit uncomfortable as he hugged her.

Riko couldn't help feeling a pang of envy as she watched them. Even if Mitsuhashi were here he wouldn't…

"Wait, where's San-chan?" she asked.

"Don't worry Riko-chan, he'll be fine" said Imai as he and Ryoko let go of each other. "Say what you will about Mitsuhashi he's a real survivor."

"Yeah. If I couldn't beat him then there's no way a bunch of brainless zombies could" Nakano added.

"Professor, Father Loomis, what is happening here?" Ito asked.

They all listened as Father Loomis explained how the green liquid was the remains of an ancient evil being believed to be Satan himself. A secret order known as the Brotherhood of Sleep had hidden it away and had been in charge of keeping it contained. With the death of their last member, Father Carlton, Father Loomis had acquired his diaries and had discovered that the "sleeper" was beginning to stir. That was why he had called upon Professor Birack to scientifically determine the nature of the green liquid so that he would have evidence to convince the outside world. As if that wasn't enough he also explained that according to the book, once the "sleeper" had risen it would seek to open a portal to a world of darkness that would consume the Earth.

Birack then explained how, while discussing their findings, they had been attacked by the possessed students. He described how he had seen them shooting jets of green liquid from their mouths to infect others. Only he and Father Loomis had gotten away from the attack. When he finished everyone was silent as they tried to process everything. Riko pressed an ear to the wall.

"I thought I heard San-chan" she said. "San-chan! San-chan!"

"Riko? Is that you?" Mitsuhashi called back from the other side of the wall. Everyone was relieved to hear his voice.

"It's me. We're all here, me, Ito-san, Kyoko-chan, all of us."

"What? Why didn't you get out while Ore-sama was heroically acting as a decoy?"

"Well he's fine" Ito muttered. He raised his voice and called, "We can't get out. The street people have barricaded the doors. Mitsuhashi where are you?"

"I'm stuck in a closet. Now hurry up and get Ore-sama out! The supervisor's in the room and something's going on with him."

"What do you mean?"

"The cylinder's in here and it's open. Ore-sama saw that green gunk go up onto the ceiling and then right into his mouth! His stomach's all bloated with it, it's gross!"

The group all exchanged horrified looks at that. Then Imai froze as he recalled what he'd seen in the computer room.

"Mitsuhashi, does he have a funny symbol on his arm? With three points and a hook?" he called.

There was a pause before Mitsuhashi replied "yeah."

"What is it Imai-kun?" Ryoko asked as she noticed his scared look.

"I've seen that symbol in the old book we found with the cylinder. And I just remembered when I saw the computer there was a translation on it. It said something about how one will be chosen" he answered.

"Then he has become the host of the Prince of Darkness" said Father Loomis, his eyes wide.

"Mitsuhashi, we're going to try and bash a hole in the wall to you" Ito said. "In the meantime keep an eye on the supervisor. Tell us if anything else happens to him."

"Fine, but be quick!"

Ito and Imai broke off two legs from the table and began smashing them into the wall. The plaster gave way easily enough but the bricks were much tougher. Even with their strength it was slow-going.

* * *

In his closet Mitsuhashi kept watch on the supervisor and relayed what he saw to the others. To his dismay the man gradually mutated before his eyes as the minutes ticked by.

His stomach had returned to normal size but his skin was now blotchy and a deep red, the colour of raw muscle, with just a few patches of withered flesh clinging to his face. His teeth were black and rotten.

"I was wrong. _That_ is gross. Still, at least he's just laying there."

No sooner had he spoken those words then the creature opened its eyes and sat up. He screamed in fright as it turned to look at him and let out a low, wheezing laugh.

Mitsuhashi began beating his fists frantically on the wall and screaming, "GET ME OUT OF HERE! IT'S AWAKE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

While he was doing so the newly risen Prince of Darkness strode from the room and the two zombies that had been standing guard walked up to the closet. They began beating on the door.

* * *

On the other side of the wall Ito turned away, his face grim.

"That's it, we have to help him. Everyone clear the door."

"Are you crazy?" Nakano exclaimed. "You want those things to get us?"

"No, he's right Nakano-kun" said Hitomi. "If we don't stop that creature then we're all doomed."

He nodded. "All right."

With that he joined the others in clearing the furniture away from the door while Riko picked up one of the chair legs and continued bashing away at the bricks. The wall finally gave way and Mitsuhashi scrambled through on his hands and knees.

"San-chan!" Riko cried in relief as she helped him up. Momentarily overcome with emotion he hugged her and she returned it happily.

But there was no time for Riko to enjoy it. The two zombies that had gone after Mitsuhashi had followed him through. They hastily broke apart as they were attacked.

Mitsuhashi snatched up the table leg and began whacking the zombie with it while also darting around to strike from unexpected angles and keep his foe off-balance. While he did so Riko used her Aikido skills to throw the other one to the floor. It landed with an impact that would have winded any normal man but it was unfazed and got back up right away.

"I hope the others are having better luck than us" she said.

"Me too" he agreed as he landed a flying drop kick that knocked the zombie over.

* * *

Upon clearing the door the rest of the group rushed out into the corridor to find the other zombies standing perfectly still. As if hearing some silent command they immediately moved forwards to attack.

Ryoko slammed her shinai into the face of one, causing it to stumble back a few steps. Imai used the opening to lift it into the air over his head and hurl it at a cluster of other zombies. All of them went down in a tangle of limbs.

Another one of them sprayed a jet of green liquid at Nakano but he used a tray he'd snatched up from the room as an improvised shield and blocked the jet. He then raced forwards and threw an uppercut that knocked the zombie onto its back.

The group fought doggedly but no matter what they did the possessed students just kept coming, seemingly unstoppable. Nonetheless they fought on, refusing to give up.

* * *

The Prince of Darkness paid no attention to the sounds of the battle as it walked into another room. It hissed gleefully as it saw a large full-length mirror on the wall.

"Father!"

It raised a hand and the glass began to glow with a brilliant white light. It then reached out and its hand passed through the mirror as if it was water, sending ripples across its surface.

"Father, come to freedom!"

* * *

Ito saw the light coming from the room and ran over to it. Before he could enter two zombies leaped onto him. He tried to fight them off but both of them lifted him overhead and hurled him down the corridor to crash heavily to the floor. He got up just in time as they sprang on him again.

"Ito-san!" Kyoko cried. She started to hurry over to him with a look of determination on her face but stopped as she passed the doorway and saw what was happening inside. She glanced back at Ito struggling against the zombies and then back at the Prince of Darkness and the glowing mirror.

 _Ito-san…_

She knew what had to be done.

Kyoko sprinted forwards and pushed the Prince of Darkness in the back with all her strength. It fell forwards with a surprised cry and passed through the portal in the mirror, disappearing from sight.

Mitsuhashi had managed to fight his way over to the room, still gripping the table leg. Seeing Kyoko back away from the glowing mirror he threw it as hard as he could.

CRASH! The light disappeared as the glass broke, sending silvery fragments to the floor with a soft tinkling sound.

At once the zombies stopped moving and fell to the floor. A wisp of white mist poured from their mouths for a second and then they were completely still. Everyone looked around in confusion for a moment, breathing heavily as the adrenaline rush wore off. The calm only lasted a moment.

"We won! We won! WOOHOO" Mitsuhashi howled triumphantly.

The various couples embraced in relief. Even Mitsuhashi gave Riko a hug and spun her around in glee. As they celebrated Father Loomis gazed intently at the broken mirror.

"It is done" he said. "Through the grace of God the world is safe."

* * *

A short time later the church was surrounded by ambulances and police cars. The derelicts had all wandered away, no longer under the Prince of Darkness's control, and although it was late in the afternoon the clouds had passed and it was light once again.

Ito, Mitsuhashi and the others all stood some distance away and watched as Birack and Father Loomis talked to the police. After a while they came over.

"I have spoken to my superiors in the Vatican and they've made some arrangements" said Father Loomis. "While the truth of what happened here will not become public knowledge now that the evil has gone, the world owes all of you a great debt and the Church will not forget that. As such none of you will get in any kind of trouble or be asked any difficult questions."

They were all relieved to hear that except of course…

"What?" Mitsuhashi exclaimed. "Ore-sama saved the world! He should at least get a parade for that!"

"If it's any consolation your sentence has been served" said Birack. "You boys have certainly performed enough community service for a lifetime."

"Yes!" Mitsuhashi yelled, punching the air gleefully. "Come on Ito, we've got a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes Ito-san, let's go home" Kyoko agreed as she took his hand.

"Kyo-chan" he said, staring lovingly at her.

Mitsuhashi made a face. "Damn it, why is everyone still making googly-eyes at each other? Oh what the Hell, if you can't beat them, join them."

So saying, he took Riko's hand. "Shall we go?"

She beamed. "Yes san-chan."

The eight of them walked off while Birack and Father Loomis watched them go.

"Not who I expected the saviours of the world to be" Birack mused.

"God works in mysterious ways" Father Loomis commented.

"Indeed."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know it's a stretch to think that the Vatican would not only be able to cover the whole thing up but also get the guys community service declared complete but I wanted to end on a high note. Put it down to artistic license.


End file.
